Department for International Trade

Trade Promotion

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Younger of Leckie on 17 July (HL16983), what are the job descriptions of each Trade Envoy; whether any assessment has been made of their effectiveness in relation to the terms of their appointment; and whether those envoysare accountable to (1) the Prime Minister, (2) the Secretary of State for International Trade, (3) the Foreign Secretary, or (4) another Cabinet minister.

lord young of cookham: The Terms of Appointment for the Programme provide the framework to which Trade Envoys work to. They outline Trade Envoys’ roles and responsibilities when undertaking Trade Envoy duties, as well as outlining the Department for International Trade commitment to them. Under the Terms of Appointment, they are appointed for the term of a parliament, after which the sitting Prime Minister will decide whether to keep the current cadre in their role. Trade Envoys regularly help UK business secure export successes, by either lobbying on their behalf, or helping to create the environment for them to succeed. Trade Envoys are appointed by the Prime Minister and are ultimately accountable to the Prime Minister, though they regularly report specific issues to other Ministers as necessary.

Trade Promotion

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 17 July (HL16983), whether the Trade Envoys are answerable to Parliament either (1) directly, (2) via a minister, or (3) not at all.

lord young of cookham: Trade Envoys comprised of parliamentarians drawn from both Houses are answerable to Parliament via direct line of report to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade who is accountable for the programme. Although the Trade Envoy role is not a ministerial appointment and does not carry formal policy responsibility the Trade Envoys are under the same obligation as Ministers to adhere to the relevant departmental restrictions, guidelines and confidentiality clauses.

Overseas Trade

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish their Regional Trade Plans.

lord young of cookham: Regional Trade Plans (RTPs), set out an overseas region’s overarching strategy, key objectives and priorities, which will drive the delivery of Her Majesty’s Government’s trade objectives overseas. Currently, the RTPs are internal documents, but the Department for International Trade intends to publish executive summaries of the RTPs in due course.